As the 63rd Montana Legislature convenes, about one-third of the lawmakers are new. Flathead voters sent a couple freshman representatives to Helena. Some House veterans transferred to the Senate. Term limits reliably mix up the Legislature. Term limits throw out the good with the bad policy brokers. On day one of this Legislature, roughly two-thirds […]

Whenever a year wraps up we are inundated with lists that subjectively measure everything. Songs, political moments, cat photos, you name it. So, I thought it would be appropriate to compile my own list of memorable moments from the Flathead Beacon newsroom, except I’m going to span its entire five-and-a-half year history. For those of […]

By John Fuller We begin 2013 with the nation facing crippling tax increases, a renewed debate on gun control and another debt limit ceiling predicament. The Obama Administration (after four years) continues to act like middle-school delinquents declaring that, “It’s not our fault,” or “The Republicans did it.” Claiming that these three “crises” demand ever-increasing […]

You and I met at about 1:30 a.m. on New Year’s Eve. I was waiting in line for a taxi in downtown Whitefish. You were slumped over the steering wheel of your running vehicle at the corner of East First Street and Central Avenue. It took a minute to realize what was about to happen […]

I am writing this letter, merely an expression of my experiences. I am disappointed to see so many dogs run off leash throughout the town of Whitefish, and saddened to personally witness two of them hit by cars on U.S. Highway 93 this past summer. Let’s see. A family has a woodpile in their backyard […]

It is completely predictable that government officials and their compliant media would use the tragedy of a mass killing to promote governmental tyranny in the form of gun control for law-abiding citizens. Such an approach will increase mass shootings because those with evil intent will still be able to obtain firearms, and even the most […]

We talk about a wide array of business topics/suggestions here at Business is Personal. Occasionally, I get emails asking how to get all of these things done in a state of overwhelm. It’s an easy problem to have. You have plenty of ideas and read the things I and others suggest, much less see all […]

Last month, I explained how nicely the Nature Conservancy made out on the Swan Lake State Forest checkerboard deal, paying $1,428/acre for land appraised at $2,331/acre and eventually gathering a total of $1,982/acre – a tidy gain of $554/acre (39 percent in two years) in a dead-flat real-estate market. Now, let’s compare how the Whitefish […]

One crazed, evil individual caused irreparable damage to a school, a town, a nation, a world. We feel compelled to act, to do something, anything, in the face of this horrific act. But an emotional reaction only gives up our power into the hands of the sick perpetrator of this crime. Do we really want […]

It has been a couple weeks since the three of you decided to invade our home, our privacy and our lives. I suspect that you think that we deserved it somehow, or that maybe one of our “kids” did. At this point I don’t think it matters, what does matter is that all three of […]

By John Fuller Montana is in the top five! The top five of those states that have the strongest labor unions, that is. Labor unions have extraordinary influence on governmental and economic policies in the Treasure State. (Full disclosure: this writer spent 42 years as a member of the National Education Association and local teachers’ […]

Over the years I’ve been accused of being overly optimistic in what I’ve written in this space – in fact, descriptions have included “delusional” and “naïve.” The accusations have some merit. But I embrace the criticism with some pride if the alternative is telling readers they should lock themselves in their homes and give up […]

I am sadly reserving judgment about whether to continue membership in the National Rifle Association. I own about 20 guns, and have taken elk, antelope, whitetail, mule deer and many game birds. If all the gophers gunned down by me were placed end-to-end they would probably extend from Whitefish to somewhere east of Billings. As […]

What’s coming sooner than you think? Retirement. Don’t run away, 20 and 30-somethings. Even if you’re 22 and three years into your new business, these issues should be on your mind unless you want to do more or less exactly what you’re doing now for the next 30-40 years. We’re talking about the difference between […]

The Whitefish farmer, who earned his political stripes by accompanying busloads of seniors across the Canadian border in search of cheaper medicine, is now termed out from serving as one of the most popular governors in Montana history. Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer was never elected to office prior to serving as governor. But Schweitzer did […]